National Championship Silver for King!

Indienne King headed up a blockbuster of a week for the Harriers Middle Distance Squad by grabbing a brilliant Silver Medal in the England Athletics U20 Championships/ British Athletics Trials for the European U20’s at Bedford. The week also saw two exceptional performances to Break club records, and a host of new PB’s and English Schools Qualifiers.

Indienne King Brilliant Silver Medal at the English U20 National Championships

England Athletics U20’s Championships & Trials Race

Indie King capped a fine run of form since joining the Harriers at the start of the year with a brilliant performance at the U20 National AG Championships, to win a Silver Medal, her first Championship win in the red & white colours of the Harriers.  

King was competing alongside club colleague Amelia McMurtrie in the England Athletics U20 Championships which also included the official British U20 European selection trial race, with places up for grabs at the forthcoming European U20’s in Estonia 15-19^th July.

King went into the race the third highest ranked athlete and she set about day 1 qualifications in a determined way winning her heat impressively with a controlled race in 2:10.81 to qualify for the final the following day. Amelia McMurtrie ran well in the first heat running 2:16.68 finishing in 6th place but sadly with just the top 2 from the three heats automatically qualifying along with the two fastest losers, this was not enough for her to progress through to the final.

The following day King was really for the final and in a relaxed frame of mind determined to make an impression even though she was a bottom year athlete still just sixteen years old.

The U20 women’s final was a dramatic one, with top seeded athlete Eleanor Colbourn (the fastest athlete in the race with 2:05 this year) taking the race on from the start with a sizzling 61 second opening lap, closely tracked by eventual winner Katie Johnson with Indie sensibly sitting back a little from the scorching pace.

At the Bell King upped her pace and set to chase down the two leading athletes, putting a tremendous effort on the back straight and on the final bend ready for her typical fast finish. As King was closing the two leading athletes Eleanor Colbourn started to tire dramatically, and her legs just went causing her to fall 50m from the line, with King having to adjust mid stride to avoid colliding with the athlete. King managed to continue to the line for a superb silver medal in an equal PB time of 2:07.5 in a race which was won in 2:06.04 just 0.04 from automatic qualification by Edinburgh AC’s Katie Johnson.

Indienne King mounting her impressive challenge on the leaders on the second lap.

This was a terrific performance which no doubt caught the selectors eye, and much will depend on top ranked U20 and Olympic hopeful Keely Hodgkinson over the coming week to see if she makes the Olympic team at next weekend’s British Championship. US based Stephanie Moss is already guaranteed a slot having the qualification time (And exempt from competing at the trials due to being contracted to a NCAA member university in the USA), so possibly two more places will be up for grabs, providing the athletes attain the 2:06 time.

King races at the British Championships which is effectively her last quality race to obtain the 2:06 time. Coach Shane Smith was delighted with her mature performance “At only 16 years old Indie has show incredible maturity competing under pressure at a major championship, she has shown she can navigate heats and make the podium at the highest level so we just have to see if she can now run her seasons stretch target of 2:06 to put her in the mix for a GB call up for the U20 European Championships?”

Kettering Open

The squad put on an impressive home performance with nineteen new PB’s from the KTH MD squad at the latest Kettering floodlit open which should perhaps be named the KTH PB Classic.

The outstanding performance of the night belonged to 12 year old Jemima Davey who ran a stunning race to set a new 7 second PB of 2:18.70 which broke the 2014 U13G club record set my Emily Williams, and also a UK No 2 Ranking. Also in a bust night of 800m’s U11 younger sibling Rafferty Davey ran a brilliant race to finish in 2nd place 2:36.14 (UK ranked 2nd U11), U13 Camille Chassaigne 2:40.74, U13 Peyton Almond 2:45.89 & U17 Lucas Rogers 2:15.10 all setting great new PB’s as well. SW Stephanie Lawrie ran her quickest time since 2012 with 2:22.58 showing her speedy sessions with the group are paying off, while U11 Tiggy Guthrie-Brown in her first official; 800m ran a fine 2:38.44 (UK 3rd U11), with U15 Evie Brooker 2:38.45.

U13 Jemima Davey brillint run to smash her PB by 7 seconds & set a new club record with 2:18.70

Special mention for U15 Jacob Asher-Relf running his first race in almost 2 years due to growth related issues and effects of the Covid Pandemic showing that his recent from in training sessions were taking effect when posting a brilliant new PB of 2:07.18 (UK 19th) and perhaps a late chance for an English Schools call up? Asher-Relf followed this fine performance with an outstanding performance just 4 days later at the Warwickshire schools event where he sliced a further 5 seconds off his PB to record a National Standard time of 2:02.08 to move to5th in the UK rankings and almost certainly a late English Schools call up. This performance also sliced half a second from the 2005 club record set by Dylan Bowley.  

U15 Jacob Asher-Relf ran a ES National Standard time (2:02.02) and broke the U15B club record with only his 2nd race in 2 years

U17 Alice Bennett ran a brilliant sprint double to set a new 400m PB with 57.98 to close in to within 0.1 of the 2008 Club Record and then off 30 mins rest a new 200m PB with 26.37.

In the 3k Lucas Mansell ran a fine 9:28.37 marginal PB, with Alice Bates setting a new PB as well with an excellently paced race for another National Standard time of 10:00.04 (UK ranked 8th), with U13’s Finnley Currie 11:18.68, Zachary Scott 11:20.71, Harlee Hooker 11:31.18 all posing great times in a rare outing over 3k.

In the 1500m there was a first Sub 5:00 clocking for SW Elana Albery with a fine run for 4:55.59, with a new PB for George Separovic (4:46.95) & younger siter Ellie Separovic 5:52.59, with Ellis Johnson 5:03.20, Pippa Moore 5:07.07 both setting new PB’s as well.

There were also other events with notable performances, the night of 800m at Nuneaton with U13 George Sharp smashing his PB by 9 seconds with an impressive run which propells him to a UK ranking of 45th. There were also new PB’s secured by U15’s Maggie Gancheva 2:25.59 & Lara Turner 2:18.62, and by U13's Finley Brooker 2:36.72 & Iona Ellwood 2:41.94.  In the Warwickshire schools event, so guest performances from the Harries produced some new PB’s with Josh Geddes running a fine race in the IB/SB race in a new PB of 1:57.92 winning the race with an impressive final kick.

The 6 athletes in contention for ES selection now await confirmation over the next few days if they have made the cut of top 16 athletes in England.